Arsenal is back to the scene of the crime, a Carling Cup Preview.
I think I can speak for many Arsenal writers and bloggers when I say it is getting increasingly harder to write about this club. Not that there aren’t a plethora of different stories and angles to cover. Its just that right now there is so much angst and anxiety around the club that those of us that write and are fans are finding it harder (at least I am) to find an angle that doesn’t turn into an outright rant on an issue (pro or con).
But there is a match and a cup tie at that. And maybe, just maybe there is a modicum of hope to be had. (see what I just did there – that just happened). Yeah, I know its false hope and likely fool’s gold. But as a fan I need more than just the angst. I need to watch them play and I will continue to root them on and hope for a positive outcome. Its why its called – supporter.
By the looks of it, we are set to roll out a team made up of mostly benchers and reserve players. But frankly maybe thats not a bad thing. Not only is the first team looking like crap, but their confidence level is shot. Imagine if they started on the wrong foot with Shresbury Town. The London suicide hotlines would be cramped with Arsenal supporters. No, it has to be the reserves.
Don’t be fooled though. The reserve team is hungry and capable. They tore through their pre-season like butter and they have yet to lose in the reserve league. There are some impressive players in the reserves most notably Ju Young Park. The North Korean Captain could make his Arsenal debut leading the line along with Marouane Chamakh.
Wenger in his pre match presser had this to say about Park:
“Park is good in the air, good technically, he is mobile. That’s why he is an adaptable striker who can play up front, behind the striker. That’s why we went for him. What I like with him is that he is very mobile and that’s the basis of our game.
We’re wondering could the duo of Chamakh and Park mean that Wenger could abandon the 4-3-3 in favour of a 4-4-2? The two forwards as a pair certainly would benefit from it. But we’ll see. It would be a dramatic step for a manager who has tied his boat to the 4-3-3 formation.
Seeing the reserves also means that Arsenal fans get to see the likes of Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Francis Coquelin, Ryo Miyachi and others you may not normally get to see. The match also means that Carl Jenkinson and Emmanuel Frimpong will get a chance to play as well. All in all, even in our current state it is more than enough squad to send Shrewsbury Town on their way.
And maybe that’s whats needed to get rid of this bad karmaic run we’ve been under. Maybe to dispel the demons of the first team from our woeful exit at Wembley last season a win in the Carling Cup is needed. And maybe, just maybe, it needs to be an emphatic one which is what I expect. (There it is again unrivaled optimism).
That’s the cruxt of it though – as a supporter, even a realist, I tend to always believe we will win. Even in spite of the train wreck that is unfolding. Some of you may think I am crazy and you are entitled to that opinion. But as a supporter, going into every match I hope and expect the best.
And now for some Arsenal facts courtesy of the BBC. (I still can’t be bothered to write an in-depth pre-game review for the Carling Cup. Wenger has ruined me.):
- This is only the fourth meeting between these clubs, and the first in the League Cup. The previous three matches were in the FA Cup, with Arsenal winning 2-0 at home in a third-round replay in 1968 and also triumphing at Shrewsbury in
a fifth-round tie in 1991. - Arsenal have won the League Cup twice (1987 and 1993) and been runners-up on five occasions.
- They have reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the past eight seasons.
- The Gunners have never been eliminated by a bottom division club in the League Cup.
- On Saturday, Arsenal became only the fifth team ever to concede as many as 14 goals in their opening five Premier League matches
Projected Starting XI
Fabianski, Jenkinson, Djourou, Miquel, Gibbs, Frimpong, Coquelin, Benayoun, Park, Chamberlain, Chamakh
YAMA Predictions:
Arsenal: 4
STFC: 1
Until Next time . . . Stay Goonerish!!!!
[donate]
33 comments
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Moderation in moderation is good. Testing.
@HighburySteve,
Acid might have been straight out of a Shakespearean drama, but based on what I have seen of Wenger the last 5 years, he is no less dangerous than acid at this time.
I personally don’t see him with the acumen to adapt to this new world order and therefore should be let go since he has no future with us. My rationale is based simply on the point where he is no longer part of the solution but is a significant part of the problem.
Until Wenger goes and the Board either sacked or mindset changed by Kroenke we will have a long road to reach tye levels of former glory days.
At this point, there is not one reason why Wenger should be retained as COACH. His more than fervent insistence that he does not need coaching help and that very few if any knows more about coaching than him is a tribute to his delusions of grandeur.
Name me any successful team in the last century which has not refreshed their ideology, player pool and most importantly, coaching pool. If any of you can do so, I might retract my statement.
@Caribkid, As per usual, I don’t see much to argue with here…..But for added fuel to the fire, people should check out today’s Arseblog Arsecast, which features an interview with AW’s neighbor/friend, Alex Flynn, a co-author of the book, “Arsenal: the making of a modern super-club.” It’s a fairly damning portrayal of the recent history of the club and the manager’s role in it, from somebody who maybe has some inside access…..
Bolton tomorrow…..I’ve got in-laws visiting so I NEED the team to get a win…..
@HighburyTerraceSteve,
Thanks for the tip, will certainly check that out. Good luck with Bolton tomorrow but actually think we can and will take this one.
keeping everything I can cross, crossed.
so, if Usmanov were to take over at some point, and starting throwing his money around like a drunken sailor, or a Russian Billionaire…
would people stop supporting the club because we had an owner who wanted to spend many millions on players?
The discussion below is a classic….But CK’s analogy is a false one….(For some reason I get no “reply” icon–maybe the box in a box format has gotten maxed out….Is this the first time Fred has failed to get the last word?……)
Any analogy that involves dropping acid and taking pants off will ALWAYS pique my interest….but I think the acid is well through the pants and the burns are severe. Are they 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree, and would sacking AW be akin to amputating the patient’s leg or lopping off his head? And if you look at it this way, maybe the thing to do is try some skin grafts instead…..
I still maintain that because AW and ownership have been in lockstep for sooooo long (with cracks only recently appearing) we have much, much deeper troubles. Sacking AW ain’t gonna happen, at least until it becomes clear that he will fail in winning a trophy this season. And despite our horrific start we are still in all three cup competitions and a mere 5 points behind Newcastle who currently have their hands on the final one (4th in the Prem)…..
For me the more resonant analogy re: management changes is the situation we’ve seen at Liverpool over the past few years. They went from contending for the league (Arshavin’s 4 goals for a draw at Anfield being the nail in that coffin) in 08-09, to failing to get out of their group in the CL and finishing 7th the following season. Rafa (recent new contract and all) was sacked at the end of that season and Roy Hodgson was his replacement. That was just a bridge however to new ownership and the new regime of Daglish, Red Sox ownership and buying British for big bucks. It’s been brutal for them, but you’d have to say they’re in the game…..
Will we follow a similar path? Well, we have to get up 10 spots to finish 7th…..
My thought is that if we don’t come 4th Wenger will be gone. (I expect sizable spending in January, to try and prevent this catastrophe and maybe throwing some of the cups….) If we continue blowing it in our easy matches this Fall and are still in the bottom half, it could be earlier. A Hodgson or Martinez or Coyle type (experienced in keeping losing teams on their games….) would be a logical interim. If very successful they stay, if not a former player (Bergkamp? Adams?) or a rising international star could maybe come in with some players from his world, maybe bolstered by a new owner (Usmanov) prepared to drop a billion or two.
Whichever way you cut it, getting back will not be easy and it’s far better if we can stay up and maybe show some promise in one of the domestic cups, while making a reasonable showing in the CL. The question is, who is the guy to make that happen? Signs point to players at least being on board with AW, but the pressure is just so relentless and will only ease with a very solid run between now and January.
So, every match a cup final, what could be more exciting than that?….
@HighburyTerraceSteve, Good lord, I hope they don’t hire Adams. His record as a manager is god damn awful. Bergkamp might be interesting as a bench coach but I’m not sure if he’s ready to be a manager. And the no flying thing would be a bit of a hassle for CL or Europa Cup games (assuming Arsenal qualifies for either). I would liketo see them promote Steve Bould. He’s done well with the youth team and he would probably improve the defense. The defense has some good players, but it’s almost like Wenger and co. are anti-coaches. Playes that do well at other clubs come in and forget how to play.
@David Eshenbaugh, Heh, heh, re: Adams…..Some would argue the same about ‘Pool hiring Daglish, and even more would argue with paying the huge money they did for Carroll, Downing, Henderson and Adam. If they finish above us and get back into the CL, there probably won’t be too many Arsenal supporters criticizing them and the way they got their business done early (and late: Bellamy and Coates, both contributed to them getting through in the CC last night)…..
@HighburyTerraceSteve, Dalglish had success as a manager even if it has been awhile. Adams was an abject failure.
Of all the players Pool brought in, I think most were good buys. Never been a Downing fan and I think they overpaid. Carroll too, but they saw a need and attempted to fill it for better or worse. And they bought early and weren’t replacing (or failing to) their best players at the last moment. At this moment I would say Arsenal have a steeper climb than Pool.
@David Eshenbaugh,
Personally don’t like Adam as a coach myself and earlier on this year said he would only go to Arsenal as a Head Coach and nothing else.
I could go for Bould as caretaker Coach this season and see if he is up to the job and also give us time to get the right man. Really like Martinez as he is young, aggressive, polished, plays good style and has European contacts. Outside of him, Moyes is the only one I can think of right off the bat, but I’m sure there’s a lot more out there.
Bring in Keown/Parlour and Bergkamp as full time coaches, get Patrick Viera to work with the youth teams and get Lee Dixon as part time strategy coach.
@Caribkid, I think Paddy is out – Man City is paying him too much.
I would live to see Bould or Keown at least work with the defense. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the defense was so good in the CL final run while Keown was advising. I’m notsold on Dennis though. The no-flyingthing would be a big pain unless he can get over it.
I don’t know much about Martinez other than his teams play a nice style. Moyes would be interesting too. He consistently gets good results from a team with absolutely no money.
Inter waste absolutely no time in sacking their doofus manager who”s team lie in 17th place!!!!
But our dummy CEO claims ANY criticism of Wenger is “damaging to the game of football itself”!!!! LOOOL!
@Fred,
But what manager who would cause instant success would want to come to us, were doing rubbish, why would anyone want to jump in the sinking ship?
@George,
Yeah, sure, NOBODY would want to come to a club STILL IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE.
Nobody in the world would want to receive six million a year (twice what Ferguson and Fabio Capello make) … and with 33 games left!
This is the same BS people used to give when Wenger failed to bring people in January. That “nobody was available”.
Ofcourse, it has been proven over and over again to be a complete BS excuse.
Wenger was a NOBODY when he joined us.
Sack Wenger. Promote from within and get an experienced tactician as assistant manager OR go give an experienced manager the SIX million we pay Wenger and I am sure they will be more than up for the challenge.
@Fred,
Yes there is still the Champions league to play in and lots of games left, and if we finish outside the top 4 I think Wenger should be sacked, but who would come? give me a named example who would win a trophy in their firsr year, like Wenger did.
@George,
For starters, Wenger won in his second year. But it’s a silly point, anyway. No one on the planet expects someone could walk into managing this club and win anything. The team is 1. Poorly constructed 2. Woefully coached. 3. So far removed from winning anything it will take time to learn how to win again
All we want is to get rid of the man most responsible. That it won’t be possible to pull AFC out of the rubble Wenger has created in one (partial) season is beyond dispute. But isn’t it time to at least start digging?
@George,
What sort of retarded logic are you using man???
You said who would come to this mess (made by your guy Wonga by the way) AND I say ANYBODY would come because, the club is still a big club located in a MASSIVE city, the club is still in the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (and there is still relatively good time and the January window to work with).
There is also the HIGHEST SALARY in England. (In Europe second only to Mourinho).
Look, if you want to say give Wenger a lil more time that at least is a logical sentence (not a logical idea) … but to claim that nobody would want to accept the job is UTTER AKB BULLOCKS.
@Fred,
Listen man, Im not an AKB, far from it but who would want to come to the shitheap were in now. Maybe if we dig ourselves out of it but finish 5th then someone would want to come and no doubt the 6 million would lure someone here. But the board love Wenger, he keeps them turning a profit and I dont think theyll fire.
So yes, give Wenger a little more time (Say till January) and we’ll go from there, sound alright to you? BTW no sarcasm intended
@George,
If acid dropped on your pants and started eating through the fabric to the skin, would not remove the pants and acid immediately, rather than wait until your skin started to burn?
@George,
Are you nuts???
Why would the club be more attractive AFTER we have finished FIFTH (OUTSIDE THE CL) as opposed to NOW whilst we still have 33 games and are still in the CL (for this season)?????
Please be logical.
Give as many excuses why Wonga shouldnt be fired … but please dont give the “nobody would take this 6M a year job in London” bullcrap.
happy that we won, youngsters showed a good performance. If I got the right idea from the radio, Miquel had a good game and even Djorou didnt do too badly in the second half. Im pleased with the result though
@George,
Djourou, the same guy who let a League Two twerp get a FREE header for their only goal?
@Fred, To be fair, he did say second half.
Btw DAG. Park in not North Korean.
It is ironic to see the situation at Inter is similar to Arsenal. I am sure Morratti would sack that manager. But Arsenal? Unless we get relegated, yes. Fall out of top 4, Well we always have next year, I bet Gazidis can/could/would say that.
I really cannot be bothered about us beating Shrewsberry :). We could really hit the final and loose again. So I am done with Carling Cup. What matters to me is the league and Champs league. My prediction: League- 5th : Champs League – 2nd Round. (This is best case scenario.
But what ever.
Well not surprisingly the board and management are circling the wagons. Neither are these results surprising in themselves, we’ve prioritised getting players on the cheap in the last hours of the transfer window and then thrown them into a royal mess that we created by refusing to jettison Fabregas and Nasri early in the window. Any way I look at this it seems footballing ambitions have been sacrificed for profit. In fact, I suggest the whole season has been compromised by the most farcical transfer window performance I have witnessed.
All that said, I agree with Steve that a majority still buy-in to the Gazidis and Wenger mantra. So…..it’ll take a few more on-field horrors to convince some that we’ve simply picked the wrong path. We’ve got a COO filling the shoes of a football manager.
Interesting to read in recent days comments from Fabregas. His belief that we wouldn’t win anything echo’s Nasri’s and others in the last 5 years. The players themselves have a primal sense of the club’s poor health.
As for this nonsense that ultimately our approach will be vindicated. Don’t hold your breathe.
Soccernet:
“Arsene Wenger has hit out at Arsenal’s defence and accused his players of lacking urgency”
“A lack of concentration, a lack of communication, a lack of co-ordination and individual urgency,” said Wenger of his side’s problems.
So, what exactly does Wenger think the JOB OF A MANAGER entails???????
This is the absolute twat that is running the club.
Yet people continue to blame the “board” and the “media”.
@Fred,
That’s a lot of critical commentary from AW. Doomer? Realist?
Doesn’t he know ‘it’s time to get behind our boys’?
No, really. Somebody get behind them. The ball has just gone by again.
More incendiary remarks from Gazidis about the security of Wenger’s position…. It’s not surprising in the least, but it will certainly add fuel to the idea among many that things are not right with the club.
I continue to be fascinated by the machinations of the situation as it’s just so different than any other team (or sport) I’ve ever followed. Wenger is the face of the club and his vision is the one we’re following. The interesting thing is that it’s so extremely unrelated to actions on the pitch, which is the whole problem for supporters. Gazidis warns against “short-termism,” but that’s the WHOLE deal. We buy our tickets, brave the weather and the crowds, looking for an uplifting and communal experience that will take us out of our day to day lives. Even if we only do this in the “virtual” world of TV and internet, many of us are heavily invested, at least when it comes to time and energy. Now we’re being told to admire the big picture, that Arsenal are where other teams long to be and that we need to respect the man who got us there…..
Hold on a sec…..(Or, for many: F**K YOU!!!!!)
The thing is, I believe he is correct. Unlike in American Sports with their field-leveling elements, Football is wide open and a mirror of the economies, macro and micro in which we live. There’s a huge division in the support, but as vehement as the Anti-Wenger sentiment is, there is probably a greater portion (including me) which supports what is being said….
The DAG wants Usmanov to be given a seat on the board, which really means he wants him in and Kronke out, so that we can start operating at a (big) loss and start buying and paying players at much, much higher levels. It’s called a bailout (or default), and it’s exactly what the Greeks are marching in the streets about, and what the broke-ass loonies in the US were trying to force with the debt-ceiling idiocy back in August. And, like DAG says, who cares where the money comes from…..
Part of that comes from the micro side as well. If you’re a working class North Londoner, it is simply foolish to buy tickets for the Arsenal, no matter how long you (and your family) have supported them. Instead you have to watch in the pub…..It’s just as painful, but at least the beer is cheaper and the ticket was free. I’m sorry, but the old Arsenal, “your” Arsenal is gone, and it ain’t coming back. That’s the “permanent state of revolution” characteristic of the economic system (Capitalism, see the writings of K. Marx)…..
If you can afford to see the matches at the stadium and (horn in on what remains of that working class passion) maybe you can see the wisdom in the Wenger/Gazidis/PHW/Kronke “plan” and these lean times are almost a penance for, not only the ersatz passion, but being part of the oligarchy of teams that will survive the shake-up. Sure Stoke may finish above us this season, but long term, I wouldn’t bet on it, just as I wouldn’t bet on too many protest marches or off-colored scarf “movements”…..
Still, the current situation is brutal. My family more or less dreads my forays into the world of Arsenal and I (sort of) do as well. I’m at my best when the team does well enough but I know (as many others do) that we cannot compete at the highest level. In the league we will have to climb out of the relegation places, then up to mid table and then (after we buy more players in January) we will need the best Spring since I became a supporter, if we hope for another go round in the CL. (Expect early exists in the domestic cups, given that our other matches offer no room for error.) With backs to the wall you never know and maybe some players will actually step up and show that they can perform under this sort of extraordinary pressure…..
In our last match we showed we’re not there yet. In many respects our performance was better than in the previous two where we eked out resutls, but when push came to shove, Blackburn (on the verge of sacking their manager), did better with their own pressures, played for a win and got it. Bolton, beaten 3-nil at home by Norwich on Saturday, will likewise be desperate at the weekend. If we can pass that test we have a must win in the CL and then our defense (somehow) must avoid a beatdown in the derby at WHL. Exciting times, but for all the wrong reasons.
But, one at a time, and maybe we’ll do OK tonight and some players will make a case for inclusion in the first team…..
The DAG? I kind of like it.
Anyway, its not a case of wanting Usmanov on the board to replace Kroenke, I feel as does the AST, that given his 30% holdings he has to be consulted on big issues anyway, why not bring him in. Why is he being held off the board.
I don’t totally align with him being our version of Roman who views Chelsea as his own personal Fantasy Football Team (meaning he’s the manager) but I am all for voices that are counterweights to the idiots like Peter Hill Wood and the remnants of the old school, who are driving this club into the ground.
@DaAdminGooner, Thanks for reading….
Why not Usmanov? He brings Saviour Dein with him and oodles of rubles…..PHW (Keyser Soze?) originally said no to Kronke, until he saw (with help from dying Danny Fiz) that he might be the guy to buy them out at the top of the market (i.e., before the current model of fiscal responsibility/plundering ran afoul of supporters paying the highest prices in Europe…..) Soon enough it’ll be Usmanov’s turn…..
And if that happens, I say sooner than later. Assuming AW will not play the fall guy, he should move upstairs and the club should bring in a manager with more experience working with a “defeated” squad. My pick would be Roberto Martinez who has kept that Wigan team from being relegated for a few seasons now. Those teams at the bottom (as we are learning…..) get beaten, sometimes badly, but have to pick themselves up and pick up results where they can…..Another reason I fear that Owen Coyle will have his Bolton squad well-prepared for our match four days hence.
Unlike some, I retain a fondness for the manager, but he’s being stretched dangerously thin (For god’s sake give the man a croque monsieur, if not a face lift and a dye job…..) Already this week he’s brushed off the notion of defensive coaches. Frankly, I think we need a whole new figure to sequester the team and keep focus where it needs to be, on the pitch. It’s too much for AW to defend the meta-narrative of the entire organization 4 times a week (2 pre-match pressers, 2 post match interviews) AND have to cut a forlorn figure on the sidelines and/or throw water bottles, while somehow convey confidence as he puts Djourou in at Right Back…..
Two important bits of news today:
1. Cesc Fabregas moved to sue The Sport Magazine in Spain for their reported fabricated story about what he said regarding Arsenal. He just took to twitter with the following:
“Got the apology and retraction from taht magazine that made up an interview about me. Can’t believe some journalists. I will also get damages that i will give to charity.
Hope it teaches them a lesson. I would NEVER say a bad word about Arsenal Football Club”
2. For those hoping Wenger gets fired. Not a chance according to Ivan Gazidis:
“Arsene Wenger is not broken. To see him portrayed as an idiot is damaging – not to him or the club but to the game.
“[Sacking him] is a route we are not going to go down.”
Gazidis added: “He didn’t suddenly become a bad manager or out of touch. That’s nonsense.”
“We’ve made a slight adjustment by signing some more experienced players and we’re very happy with who we’ve brought in.
“If we went out and spent all our money we would make bad decisions, so we’ve been restrained.
“The club is focused on a responsible, sustainable model. Football’s going that way and people are trying to get where we already are. We represent the future of football.
“We will be unmoved in the way we do things and will not be swayed by talk of a crisis. We need to stick together. A lot of the public angst comes from the fact expectations are so high.”
The full interview with Ivan is up on the BBC site
@DaAdminGooner,
Glad Cesc is reacting strongly to clear this up.
Here’s a small piece about it. (Assuming we can believe it’s true. Who the hell knows anymore?)
http://www.footylatest.com/fabregas-to-sue-over-fake-interview-slagging-off-arsenal/23733
Of course, that which Sport made up is still true. While Cesc apparently didn’t say any of it to them, I’d still bet he’s said it to somehow. His agent, at least.